Kevin Durant injury update: Nets star forward probable to return Sunday vs. Suns

Kevin Durant looked unstoppable in the first four minutes of the Brooklyn Nets game against the Miami Heat on Sunday afternoon, as he scored the first eight points for his team. But then he got hurt and was forced to miss the remainder of the contest with what the Nets announced as a left thigh contusion. Brooklyn went on to lose the game against the Heat, but the good news is that they won’t be without Durant for too long. 

While speaking with media members on Friday, Nets coach Steve Nash said that Durant could return to game action as soon as this weekend without committing to that as a timeline. “Yeah, I mean I think he’s close. But I don’t think he’s there. So I think we’ll see tomorrow and Sunday if that’s a possibility, but it may not (be). So it may bleed back into this road trip. But I can’t—I wish I could give you more. That’s kind of all I know is that it’s close but it’s not quite there.”

While Nash wasn’t ready to commit to Durant returning this weekend during his time with the media on Friday, the Nets officially listed the All-Star forward as probable for their matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

This is obviously great news for a Nets team that is already without James Harden and is in the midst of a battle for the top seed in the East with the Philadelphia 76ers. Plus, Durant had just returned to Brooklyn’s lineup last week, after missing nearly two months of action with a hamstring injury. 

The play that caused the injury came when Durant was driving toward the rim, and in the replay of the video it appears as though Trevor Ariza’s knee hit Durant’s left thigh on his way to the basket. You can see the play below: 

Together, Durant, Harden and Irving have played just seven games together, but they have been incredibly potent offensively when doing so. The problem is getting all of them healthy at the same time, which hasn’t been easy this season. Hopefully, all three stars will be fully healthy for the playoffs. Otherwise, that could be a serious issue in Brooklyn’s quest to win a championship this year.